Strathcona Cup | The View From The Hack The View From The Hack "We thank Thee, Lord, for snaw and ice. But still we ask for mair." Menu Weekend Curling 1-3 February Happy new month everyone – is it really February already? The Scottish Curling Tour for 2012/13 comes to an end this weekend with the Petrofac Aberdeen City Open at Curl Aberdeen. Play got underway today (Friday) with four teams still in with a chance of being overall tour champions for the season. The event, and indeed the tour, concludes on Sunday. Read about the event on the SCT blog here and be sure to check the official event page here during the weekend. Fans of Canadian curling should turn their attention to the 2013 Canadian Junior Curling Championships that begin tomorrow (Saturday) in Fort McMurray, Alberta. This event runs until Sunday 10 February – check out the event website here and read a preview here . There is a new format for this year’s competition and a new team as well – Nunavut are making their first ever appearance at the Canadian Juniors.

Keep an eye out for Alberta’s skip Thomas Scoffin – he is making his record seventh consecutive appearance in these championships. He also holds the record for being the youngest ever skip at the juniors as he was just 12 when he competed in 2007. Scoffin skipped Canada to a bronze medal at the Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria where I was volunteering on the ice crew. I was thoroughly impressed by Scoffin and his team and believe he will go a very long way in our sport. Aside from upcoming events, I am delighted to report that Scotland have won the Strathcona Cup. The tourists beat their Canadian hosts by a total score of 2876-2620. Congratulations to all involved – read all about it here . You can also read what Robin Copland makes of the tour here . The tourists return to Scotland tomorrow (Saturday) so before you ask them all about how the tour went, take a look at this video to get an idea. If you want to do some forward planning or light reading this weekend then this next part of tonight’s post is for you… The World Curling Federation has announced the schedules of play for this year’s World Championships.

The men’s is here and the women’s is here . Scotland’s women will kick-off against Canada on Saturday 16 March while the men face Japan on Saturday 30 March. The Curling History Blog had some new posts in January about a Grand Match and a belt buckle. Read them here . Tickets went on sale today (Friday) for the 2014 Continental Cup in Las Vegas. Find out more here . And finally, I came across this song and music video about our sport. It is part of a charity bonspiel that takes place in Manitoba, Canada. Don’t forget to check back at the start of the week for a roundup of the weekend’s curling. Also, if you weren’t already aware, my site has a Facebook page, YouTube channel and a Twitter feed for you to keep up with what’s happening in the world of curling. Midweek Miscellany A few things to catch up on from around the world. The 2013 Pacific-Asia Junior Championships came to an end today (Wednesday). Japan’s junior women and China’s junior men won their respective events and will now compete at the World Junior Championships in Sochi, Russia. The full report is here .

John Brown made some interesting observations on the event here . Applications are now open for the RCCC’s 2013 Summer Camp. Spaces on the camp, in Stirling, are limited to 48 – full details here . The World Curling Federation has announced that the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship will be held in Beijing, China. This will represent the first time that a WMCC is held in the Pacific-Asia zone. You can read all about this landmark decision here . A new RCCC Tartan has been produced for this year’s Strathcona Cup tour to Canada and you can now order some for yourself. Take a look here . Talking of the tour, the Scottish tourists are currently winning 876-738. Keep track of their progress across Canada here . EJCC / Strathcona Cup This is my 100th post since I began back in September – I’m sure I can manage at least 100 more before the season is out… The European Junior Curling Challenge ended in Prague yesterday (Tuesday). The last remaining places at the World Junior Championships were secured by the Italian junior men and the Danish junior women – congratulations to them both.

England’s junior men finished 10th out of 13 while the junior women came in 8th out of 12. The full report is here . John Brown was over in Prague coaching the English junior women’s team – see what he made of the tournament and see how England fared here and here . As I mentioned in an earlier post , the Strathcona Cup Tour departed today (Wednesday). Read the RCCC’s preview here and don’t forget to check the official tour website regularly – safe journey and best of luck to all involved. First Curling Of 2013 Happy New Year everyone. 2012 has become 2013 and we have much to look forward to in the world of curling before the season is over. Before I tell you about what is happening in the immediate future, here are some bits of news. Firstly, it wouldn’t be a New Year without the Queen’s New Year Honours List. I am delighted to see that the World Curling Federation’s President, Kate Caithness, was made an OBE in this year’s list for services to curling and international disability sport. Read more about her award here . Many congratulations to Kate.

I spotted this video of Team Muirhead as part of CurlingZone’s ‘Far From Home’ series – well worth a watch. 2013 is a Strathcona Cup year which means that a group of 61 Scottish curlers are due to head off for a tour of Canada in an attempt to win the cup, currently in Canadian hands. The tour departs Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 January but to find out where they will be going, who is playing and some history of the event, I recommend the excellent Tour website which can be found here . Best of luck and a safe journey to everyone going – it’s hard not to be a little jealous when you read the itineraries. So on to what is taking place here and now. The Curling Champions Tour makes its second stop in Scotland from today (Thursday) with the Mercure Perth Masters. I’ve been looking forward to this one ever since I compiled this season’s calendar – I will be watching today (Thursday) and will be back again for finals day on Sunday. The event website is here , the Facebook page is here and, in this anniversary year for the event, you can even get a dedicated app – see the advert on the competition homepage for details.

Play gets underway at 16.45 today (Thursday) and the final is at 15.00 on Sunday. As for the teams, it is a truly special gathering of some of the world’s best curlers. Canada, Finland, Sweden, China, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, USA, Russia, Japan and, of course, Scotland are all represented in Perth. So who should you be looking out for if you find yourself in Perth this weekend? It’s hard to know where to start but here are some to keep an eye on: 2006 Olympic Gold medallist Brad Gushue from Canada Recently crowned European champions Team Niklas Edin from Sweden The ever-popular Norwegian Thomas Ulsrud with a different lineup to normal Canadian Mike McEwen and his team looking for a third straight Masters title But don’t forget local interest with the likes of Warwick Smith, Ewan MacDonald and Tom Brewster and the junior teams of Grant Hardie and Kyle Smith. Best of luck to all the teams taking part – it should be a great event. The other event taking place at the moment is the 2013 European Junior Curling Challenge.

Getting underway today (Thursday) in Prague, Czech Republic, this event is for junior men’s and junior women’s teams not already qualified for the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia. The schedule and team lists are available here and the event website is here . 13 junior men’s teams are hoping to make it to Sochi – Austria, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Turkey. The 12 women’s teams attempting to qualify are Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. ‘Home’ interest lies with the two England teams competing in Prague. The junior men are skipped by Ben Fowler while the girls have Hetty Garnier at skip and Olympian Angharad Ward playing third. Best of luck to all the teams and to my Slovenian friends who toured Scotland recently – no doubt they will be dreaming of a place in Sochi. Here’s to 2013.

Saugeen Shores Strathcona Cup Play in Saugeen Shores News Centre News Strathcona Cup Play in Saugeen Shores Saugeen Shores | by John Divinski Rep says "it's been a success " and tour organizer is impressed with local rinks Can't play this file? Click here to download/listen - A lot of "hurry hards" and a lot of it said with Scottish accents as 20-players from the Royal Caledonia Curling Club converged on Saugeen Shores to continue their Strathcona Cup play. Forty other players from the Scottish club are spread out across Canada as part of the 22nd curling competition. Local tour repesentative Bill Streeter says the curlers have been in the country since January 9th, competing for the cup against the Canadians. Tour organizer and president of the Royal Caledonia Curling Club in Scotland Bill Duncan says it's been a tiring tour but fun. Duncan says the 60 curlers are playing 437 matches across Canada and at last count the visitors were about 250 shots ahead.

He says the curlers pay their own way to Canada but they do so gladly, because it gives them an opportunity to represent their country and see Canada in the process. Duncan says the players average in age somewhere between 57 and 60, but as old as 74. He says he's impressed with the facilities in Saugeen Shores. Duncan says the Southampton Curling Rink was the first one he's seen that has a kind of three-stage seating area. He says the welcome to Southampton was warm as local curlers had crossed brooms as the Scottish visitors entered the facility. The group was also playing matches at the Port Elgin club. Local rep Bill Streeter says judging by the crowds that have come out to see the competitions, it's been a success. The Strathcona Cup doesn't happen often. Scottish curlers come to Canada in the years ending in "three." The Canadian curlers visit Scotland to play in the years ending in "eight." The Cup dates back to 1902 when Lord Strathcona, better known as Donald Smith, founder and builder of CP Rail, offered the prize to the winning country.

The Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club National Governing Body for Curling in Scotland Information and Advice for Athletes and Parents Strathcona Cup History The origins for curlers from Scotland and Canada meeting lie in the 1902 Royal Club Annual General Meeting “…..and the following resolutions were passed. First, that the Royal Club, taking into consideration the oft repeated invitation of brethren in Canada and the USA, is of opinion that the invitation should now be accepted, and decides to send out in the coming winter a representative team, in the name and under the auspices of the Royal Club, to play such matches as may be arranged, and to convey to curlers at the various centres to be visited the hearty congratulations and good wishes of the mother club. Second, that a special committee be now appointed with full power to select the team and make all necessary arrangements for the Canadian tour. Third, that this special committee be the committee of management, with power to add to the number, with the suggestion that such additions so made shall be fairly representative of the different districts and provinces of the Royal Club.

Fourth, that the Secretary of the Royal Club be authorised to grant the Special Committee (Canadian Tour) out of the funds of the Royal Club, if found necessary, a sum not exceeding £200 towards the central fund to meet expenses.” From over 200 applicants a team of 25 curlers were selected to represent Scotland on the inaugural Canadian Tour led by the Rev. John Kerr of Dirleton. The itinerary for first tour was that the team would arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia around the end of December 1902 and travel through Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg before crossing the border to Minneapolis and St. Paul, Chicago and New York. The whole tour would take 40 days but allowing for ocean and railway travel it was anticipated that the team would be absent for about two months! “It will be seen that the programme is an ambitious one, but the committee felt strongly that if things were worth doing, it was worth doing well, and they have every confidence that the members of the team will prove in every respect worthy of the high trust committed to them, namely, that of upholding the reputation of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club”.

The success of the tour was reflected in a letter sent from Peterboro’ in Ontario to the Royal Club which stated, “I congratulate you in the Royal Caledonian Curling Club that this long expected visit has been so happily carried out, and I trust that in the years to come it may continue to be a fruit on both sides of the Atlantic……….” Encouraged by such comment, the Royal Club at its Annual Meeting in July 1908 decided to “unanimously and enthusiastically to invite a team of Canadians to Scotland and to return if possible the hospitality shown by Canada to the curlers from the mother country in the winter of 1902, it was felt that notice given was very short, but the eager desire on the part of all concerned was that such a visit should come off during the year which Lord Strathcona was President of the Royal Club, his Lordship being such a unique connecting link between Scotland and Canada, so much honoured by his countrymen on both sides of the Atlantic.” Once news returned from Canada that the invitation had been accepted there was “unmingled delight as there was a general expectation that the visit of the Canadians to Scotland like that of the Scots to Canada would not only still further strengthen the

 bond of friendship between those who are kinsmen but…………….

would handsomely avenge any defeat sustained by the Scots in their visit to Canada, which by some strange system of perversion had been very much exaggerated”!!! That first visiting Canadian team was gathered in the space of two or three months and included representatives of every district in Canada from Halifax to Dawson City in the Yukon. In Scotland invitations were drawn up and issued to Clubs and Provinces and “a most gratifying response to this communication was received by the Committee, for virtually the whole of Scotland was prepared to receive and offer hospitality to the Canadians”. The organising Committee had its main difficulty in the form of whether the matches would be played in the open, or in the covered artificial ice-rink at Crossmyloof in Glasgow which had been placed at the services of the Royal Club in the event of John (not Jack!) Frost not having the decency to provide natural outdoor ice for the occasion. Apart from visits to the various districts of Scotland it was “in the trio of test matches arranged by the Committee that Greek would meet Greek, and the momentous decision be given on the blackboard as to whether Canada or Scotland held priority in curling fame.

To this great arbitration keen zest was added by the presentation of the noble President, Lord Strathcona, of a handsome Challenge Cup …………. and which it would be averred is without a superior among curling trophies at home and abroad. This splendid trophy, which was selected in competition from a number of designs, is cup shape in form, with two handles. It measures about 20 inches in height and 14 and a half inches in diameter. The decoration, which is chiefly Celtic in character, is artistically applied. A band of Runic entwined work and circles the upper part, and is continued on the handles, whilst round the top is the wording in applied letters: ‘Presented by Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club’. On the silver octagonal base of eight panels there are representations of a Scottish curling scene, a Canadian curling scene, and also views of Edinburgh and Stirling castles. Additionally other panels show a beaver, a maple tree and a scotch fur with a thistle in the foreground.

Two panels have been reserved to inscribe the winners names and the other the inscription, which coupled with the inscription that the rim of the cup reads “Presented by Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal to The Royal Caledonian Curling Club to Commemorate His Presidency of the Club and of the First Visit of a Canadian Curling Team to Scotland, January 1909”. John Frost did not oblige and the three test matches against Scottish Provinces were held at Crossmyloof Ice-rink with six rinks playing on each day. The first test match gave a score of 112 to 70 in favour of the Canadians and they followed this up with 29 shot and 30 shot victories in the remaining two to enable the Canadians to win the coveted cup by 101 shots. Philosophically, one of the defeated Scottish hosts remarked, “it micht have been better, but it micht have been waur”. Scots returned to Canada in 1912 with the Canadians successfully retaining the cup although it was noticed that in the test matches, the loss per rink by the Scots was only on average one and a half shots per game.

The Scottish team captain, Colonel Robertson-Aikman, further reported that in his opinion “this was a record that, I contend, after the performance of the Canadian curlers in Scotland three years ago we need not be in the least ashamed of”. He further claimed that the Scots were at a disadvantage in that the Canadians played short games of only 12 heads when normally the Scots would expect to play 16. The test matches however were over 18 heads but again the Scots wanted more – 21! Further handicaps noted were that they had to play on a 6ft. radius circle rather than a 7ft. circle! Other excuses used at the time included the fact there was a tremendous borrow sometimes as much as 8 ft. which in his opinion “the consequence of such a borrow is that the game is altered in its character. You cannot guard a stone as you do here.” The final excuse used for the tour was “…..but the strongest man on a tour of two months must be below his best when continually travelling and banqueting”!!!

The First World War prevented any further tour that decade but in 1921 the Canadians returned to Scotland and on this occasion Scotland lifted the Strathcona Cup for the first time by a score of 3-2 over the 5 test matches. However two winters later Canada regained the Strathcona Cup, winning 5-0 in the test matches and by an emphatic 210 shot margin. Canadian curlers returned to Scotland in 1926 where the home country were victorious by 4 to 1 in the test matches but that was the last tour for some 12 years until 1938, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, when Scotland crossed the Atlantic once more. The War prevented any further visit until 1949 when Scotland won the Strathcona Cup in Canada for the first time. On this occasion there was a change from the normal format whereby all games in the tour, not just nominated test matches, counted to the overall result. One game was reported as “ keen interest was shown in all our games and at Nelson, B.C., we had a crowd of 2000 spectators watching us, although play did not start until 8.30 p.m.

and continued until 1 o’clock in the morning!” Subsequent tours reverted to the format of test matches deciding the destination of the cup with the home nation being victorious on each of these occasions. However, this format was changed when the Canadian tourists came to Scotland in 1979 and from that tour onwards all games have counted equally to the eventual outcome of the trophy. Canada regained the trophy on their last visit to Scotland in 1998 and currently have 10 victories to 8 of Scotland but the Strathcona Cup is more than about winning and losing. The very essence of it is to ensure that curlers from Scotland and Canada have the opportunity to meet every five years on one side of the Atlantic or the other to further the friendship between curlers of the two countries and to uphold the traditions of the roarin’ game. With these objectives in mind 56 curlers from Scotland will, unlike their forefathers, touch down rather than step ashore in Canada on the 8th January 2003.

The East Tour under the Captaincy of Donald Whyte, President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, will similar to those on that first tour, start in Halifax, whilst the West Tour will start in Winnipeg, another of the cities on that original itinerary, under the Captaincy of Ainslie Smith. For all curlers it will be an opportunity to mark the Centenary of the first ever Scottish Curlers in Canada when 412 games are played across Canada from Halifax in the East to Victoria in the West. Acknowledgement This brief history together with the results of past Strathcona Cup Competitions has been compiled from reports in the Annuals of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, extracts which are reproduced here with kind permission of the Royal Club. Alan Stanfield Curling - The Canadian Encyclopedia email MLA 7th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey "Curling" The Canadian Encyclopedia. Eds. Jeremy Freeborn. Toronto: Historica Canada, 2010. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey "Curling" The Canadian Encyclopedia. Eds. Jeremy Freeborn.

Toronto: Historica Canada, 2010. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. APA 6th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey, R. The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2010). Curling. Retrieved January 17, 2017, from Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey, R. The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2010). Curling. Retrieved January 17, 2017, from Chicago 16th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. "Curling" In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 1985–. Article published May 9, 2010. Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. "Curling" In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 1985–. Article published May 9, 2010. Turabian Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. 2010. Curling. The Canadian Encyclopedia (accessed January 17, 2017). Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey.

2010. Curling. The Canadian Encyclopedia (accessed January 17, 2017). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Updates? Omissions? Article suggestions? We want to hear from you! Sports Curling Curling is a sport in which two teams of four players each send stones over an ice surface toward a target circle in an attempt to place nearest the centre. In Canada, curling has steadily grown in popularity since the first club was formed in Montréal in 1807. The national championships (Brier, Scotties) and Olympic trials are among some of the most popular sporting events in the country, and many winners of these tournaments have also achieved victory on the international stage. Curling is one of the country’s most popular sports, and is the most televised women’s sport in Canada. Curling is a sport in which two teams of four players each send stones over an ice surface toward a target circle in an attempt to place nearest the centre.

In Canada, curling has steadily grown in popularity since the first club was formed in Montréal in 1807. The national championships (Brier, Scotties) and Olympic trials are among some of the most popular sporting events in the country, and many winners of these tournaments have also achieved victory on the international stage. Curling is one of the country’s most popular sports and the most televised women’s sport in Canada. Scottish Heritage Although there is some artistic and etymological evidence from the 16th century in the Low Countries of Europe pointing to a similar ice game, most authorities agree that curling as we know it today was codified in Scotland and exported from there in organized form. Certainly the origins and early evolution of this sport in Canada were due to the consistent, enthusiastic and ubiquitous presence of the Scots . Undoubtedly, too, curling has thrived to a prodigious and unparalleled extent here. Factors contributing to its contemporary popularity in Canada include the wintry climate, the traditions of the game, certain technological advances and the active patronage of influential persons (many of them Scottish). From their influential position in Canadian society, many Scots were comfortably situated to indulge in and promote the traditions of their native land, including curling.

First Clubs in Canada Some historians have suggested, without documentation, that curling began on the North American continent among Scottish soldiers during the Seven Years' War of 1756–63 . Curling certainly occurred informally before 1800, until a group of Scots who were identified chiefly with the fur trade formed the Montréal Curling Club in 1807, described as the first sports club in Canada. Other Scots formed clubs in Kingston (1820), Québec City (1821) and Halifax (1824). These pioneering enthusiasts experimented with local "stones" made of iron or maple, as well as imported stones from Scotland. By 1839, when more clubs had been formed, locally made granite curling stones were being advertised in Toronto at $8 a pair. A year later, the first book on curling in Canada was published — James Bicket's The Canadian Curler's Manual. Intercity matches began in 1835, interprovincial ones in 1858, and in 1865 the first international bonspiel was held between American and Canadian clubs at Buffalo, New York.

Much of this progress was aided by the long, cold winters and the availability of innumerable lakes and rivers, ensuring abundant and safe ice on which to enjoy curling. Indeed, these conditions surpassed even those in Scotland, an unusual occurrence for a transplanted sport. In fact, it was often too cold to participate outdoors, and curling fanatics took their sport indoors; members of the Montréal Curling Club were likely the first to do this in 1838. The neighbouring Thistle Club constructed an enclosed rink six years later. By 1859, Toronto had its first indoor facility, and soon indoor curling rinks became common across Canada. During the 1880s and 1890s, until ice hockey arenas were created, these rinks were being used by many fledgling ice-hockey teams. A Canadian Game Despite the dominating Scottish influence, other nationalities participated from an early date.

Because a Canadian-born curler, William Reynolds, had won the Denham Medal in 1843, a Toronto newspaper claimed: "Curling may now be considered in this Province a Canadian rather than a Scottish game." Similar sentiments were expressed in Québec in 1861 when a French Canadian (Benjamin Rousseau) won a gold medal in curling competition. And the progress of non-Scottish teams (often called "barbarians") against Scottish-born teams was keenly reported. Since the Earl of Dalhousie was reported as a member of the Québec City Curling Club in 1828, the sport has included many famous figures within its ranks, such as Sir John A. Macdonald , Lord Aberdeen and Lord Strathcona . The vice-regal support of the governors general was especially significant. Lord Dufferin (1872–78) was an ardent proponent and had a rink built at his own expense at his official residence, Rideau Hall . In 1880, he instituted the Governor General's Prize, one of Canada's coveted curling trophies. His successors also sponsored the sport, adding to its prestige.

Another stimulus to the sport was provided when a Scottish curling team, captained by Reverend John Kerr, toured Canada in 1902–03. The team played matches in 11 cities from Halifax to Winnipeg , then visited 6 American cities. The Scots lost more matches than they won and returned home tremendously impressed with the status and progress of curling in the Dominion . When a Canadian team first toured Scotland in 1908, it won 23 of 26 matches, including three international contests for the Strathcona Cup. Curling in the West By 1910, almost every town in the West had an arena, and Winnipeg was the acknowledged curling centre of Canada. In 1950, it had more curling clubs than Montréal and Toronto combined; and Manitoba had more clubs than Ontario and Québec . The Flin Flon club was the largest in the world, with more than 50 rinks. During the 1940s, outdoor curling with cement-filled jam tins became a craze across the Prairie Provinces.

The West was also the host of the first "Carspiel," which was held at Nipawin , SK, in 1947, with four Hudson sedans valued at $2,200 each as prizes. The popularity of curling in the West would be reflected by the number of national and international champions from that region over the coming decades. The Brier By the 1920s, curling enthusiasts had begun to organize nationwide competitions. A Dominion championship competition was inaugurated in 1927, sponsored by the W. D. Macdonald Co, for a trophy known as the Brier (the first Brier champion was Murray Macneill of Nova Scotia ). This annual event gave curling a significant impetus and became one of the most prestigious trophies in Canadian sport. Sponsorship has changed a number of times; since 2005, the Canadian national men’s curling championship has been known as the Tim Hortons Brier. The Brier has been held annually since 1927 (except for 1943–45 during the Second World War ).

In 2002–03, many curling teams boycotted the competition owing to disagreement with the Canadian Curling Association over prize money and sponsorship. From 1927 to 1939, the Brier was held annually in Toronto at the Granite Club. Meetings at the Granite Club also led to the formation of the Dominion Curling Association in 1935 (renamed the Canadian Curling Association in 1968). In 1940, the Brier was hosted for the first time in Winnipeg , the city that many consider the national (and even international) centre of curling. The western provinces produced many national champions in the first decades of the Brier. In 1949, Ken Watson of Manitoba became the first curler to win the Brier three times. Ten years later, Ernie Richardson formed the famous Richardson Rink in Regina , SK, which went on to win four Briers in five years.

Two other curling teams, both from Alberta , won the Brier three times each during this time period: Matt Baldwin (1954, 1957 and 1958) and Ron Northcott (1966, 1968 and 1969). In the mid-1970s, there was a short shift in success from Western Canada to Eastern Canada. For the first time there were Brier champions from Québec and Newfoundland . Jack MacDuff skipped his Newfoundland rink to a Brier title in 1976 in Regina, SK, and a year later Jim Ursel won the Brier in his home town of Montréal . Since the mid-1970s, Alberta and Manitoba have dominated the Brier, although other provinces have also provided national champions. Men’s World Championship In 1959, there was added incentive to win the Brier. For the first time, the Brier champion would represent Canada internationally. The World Championship, known initially as the “Scotch Cup,” was a five-game series between Canada and Scotland.

Richardson ’s curling rink from Saskatchewan won the first two Scotch Cups in dominating fashion, winning all ten games. Hec Gervais of Edmonton won the 1961 championship (the same year the United States joined the tournament), followed by Richardson, who once again won back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963. The 1964 Scotch Cup was played in Canada for the first time, with Calgary hosting at the Stampede Corral. Vancouver’ s Lyall Dagg won the Cup that year, but in 1965 an American team was victorious. One year later, when the Scotch Cup returned to Canada with Vancouver as the host, Calgary’s Ron Northcott went undefeated. In 1968, Air Canada sponsored a new world curling championship known as the Silver Broom. The first (played in Pointe-Claire , Montréal, QC ) was won by Northcott, who won it again the following year.

In fact, Canada was victorious at the first five Air Canada Silver Broom World Curling Championships: the Don Duguid Rink won in 1970 and 1971, and the Orest Meleschuk rink won in 1972. In the 1970s, Canada struggled during the World Men’s Curling Championship. After Meleschuk’s victory in 1972, Canada did not win again for eight years. However, Canadian dominance at the world championship level was restored in the 1980s with seven victories: Rick Folk (1980); Al Hackner (1982, 1985); Ed Werenich (1983); Ed Lukowich (1986); Russ Howard (1987); and Pat Ryan (1989).

Canada would continue to dominate the World Men’s Curling Championships over the next two decades: Ed Werenich (1990); Russ Howard (1993); Rick Folk (1994); Kerry Burtnyk (1995); Jeff Stoughton (1996); Wayne Middaugh (1998); Greg McAulay (2000); Randy Ferbey (2002, 2003, 2005); Glenn Howard (2007, 2012); Kevin Martin (2008); and Kevin Koe (2010). Since 1995, the world curling championship has been sponsored by Ford Canada and is known as the Ford World Curling Championship when played in Canada. Women’s Curling The copious quantities of whisky said to be consumed at bonspiels apparently delayed the participation of women in curling, but in 1894, the first ladies' curling club was formed in Montréal . Before 1900 there were several women's clubs in Eastern and Western Canada, and curling was soon established as a sport for both sexes and almost all ages.

National Women’s Championship However, it would take over half a century for women to have their own national curling championship. The first Canadian National Women’s Curling Championship was played in 1960 in Oshawa , ON. The event took place 33 years after the first Canadian National Men’s Curling Championship in Toronto . For the first year, the Western Canadian champion was flown to Oshawa to play the Eastern Canadian champion. The event, known as the Dominion Diamond D Championship, was won by Joyce McKee of Saskatoon , SK. A year later, tournament organizers used a similar round-robin format as the Brier with McKee defending her title. Dominion continued sponsoring the event until 1967. Notable champions in the 1960s included Mabel DeWare of Moncton , NB (1963), who went on to become a cabinet minister in the New Brunswick legislature and a senator in the Canadian government, and Betty Duguid of Winnipeg , MB (1967), sister of two-time world men’s curling champion Don Duguid.

The province of Saskatchewan dominated the women’s national championship from 1969 to 1974, winning six straight national titles. From 1971 to 1973, Vera Pezer won three consecutive titles as a skip, a record until Nova Scotia ’s Colleen Jones won four straight titles from 2001 to 2004. In 1972, Macdonald Tobacco Company became the primary sponsor of the National Women’s Curling Championship and the tournament was renamed the Macdonald Lassies Championship. However, despite giving the event strong promotional and public relations support, they were pressured by the Canadian government to end their sponsorship in 1979 because of the government’s anti-tobacco thrust. Scotties Tournament of Hearts In 1982, a new era in women’s curling began when Scott Paper became the primary sponsor of the national women’s curling championship. The new event was initially known as the Scott Tournament of Hearts before a name change was made in 2007 to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

According to curling historian Doug Maxwell, “the Scott Tournament of Hearts is Canada’s longest-running, sponsored national event.” The other significant change to the Canadian women’s curling championship in the 1980s was the adoption of the Team Canada concept. In essence, this meant the reigning champions did not have to participate in provincial playdowns to qualify for the national championships; instead, they received an automatic berth and were known as Team Canada. (The Team Canada concept was instituted at the Brier for the first time in 2015.) The most successful Canadian curler in the history of the Scott Tournament of Hearts is Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones, who won six titles. The Halifax native won the first Scott Tournament of Hearts in 1982, followed by victories in 1999 and 2001–04. When Jones was not curling, she could be seen regularly on CBC as a sports broadcaster. After the Colleen Jones dynasty, Winnipeg ’s Jennifer Jones went on a notable run starting in 2005, when she won four Scotties in six years.

Another repeat national champion is Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, who won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2013 and 2014. Women’s World Championship The first Women’s World Curling Championship took place in 1979 with Gaby Casanova of Switzerland capturing the title. Marj Mitchell’s rink from Saskatchewan became the first Canadian team to win the Women’s World Curling Championship in 1980. Just three years later, Mitchell died of cancer at age 35. (Since 1998, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Sponsorship Award has been named in Mitchell’s honour.) The first Women’s World Curling Championship on Canadian soil took place in 1983 in Moose Jaw , SK with Switzerland hammering Norway 18–3 in the gold medal game. Canada’s Penny LaRocque of Nova Scotia lost 6–3 to Norway in the semifinal.

From 1984 to 1987, Canadian teams won four consecutive World Women’s Curling Championships, solidifying Canada as a superpower in women’s as well as men’s curling: three-time Scotties champion Connie Laliberte won in 1984; Linda Moore won in 1985; Marilyn Darte (later Bodogh) won in 1986; and Pat Sanders won in 1987. In 1989, the Women’s World Curling Championship took place in the same location (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) as the Men’s World Curling Championship for the first time. Heather Houston defeated Norway’s Trine Trulsen in the gold medal game to join men’s champion Pat Ryan as Canadian world champions. The Women’s World Curling Championship would remain in the same location as the Men’s World Curling Championship until 2004. Since 2005, a World Championship has taken place in Canada every year, with the Women’s World Curling Championship in Canada in even years and the Men’s World Curling Championship in Canada in odd years.

In the 1990s, Canadian women won four World Women’s Curling Championships. Sandra Schmirler ’s curling team from Saskatchewan won three titles (1993, 1994, 1997). Marilyn Bodogh also won the second Women’s World Curling Championship of her career in 1996 in front of an appreciative crowd at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton . In the 2000s, Canadian women won five World Women’s Curling Championships: Kelley Law (2000); Colleen Jones (2001, 2004); Kelly Scott (2007); and Jennifer Jones (2008). Canadian Mixed Championship Another important national curling competition, the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, began in 1964. Over the years, many Canadian mixed curling champions have also won the Brier or Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The list includes Rick Folk, Barry Fry, Jan Betker, Jeff Stoughton, Colleen Jones, Kevin Koe, Jean-Michel Ménard, Mark Dacey and Kim Kelly.

In 2004 in Timmins , ON, Shannon Kleibrink of Alberta (who went on to skip Canada to a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin) became the first female curler to win the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship as a skip. Other National Championships Other curling competitions held in Canada include championships for Canadian Schoolboys (first held in 1950); National Seniors (since 1965); Canadian Junior Girls (1971); the Canadian Senior Ladies (55 and over; established 1973); the Canadian Masters (60 and over; established 2000) and the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship (established 2004). Olympic Success There has been some debate about when curling became an Olympic sport. In 2006, the International Olympic Committee determined that curling had debuted at the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Thus, the British are now considered the first Olympic curling champions because of their 1924 win.

After the 1924 Games, curling was a demonstration sport at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, and then returned as a demonstration sport to the 1988 games. In 1998 at Nagano, Japan, the sport was for the first time an official Olympic event. Though the Canadian men's team led by Mike Harris settled for silver, Sandra Schmirler 's team from Regina captured the first women's Olympic gold medal in curling. Sadly, Schmirler died of cancer at age 36 just two years later in 2000. The men's competition at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City was a battle between Canada, Norway and Switzerland. These well-matched teams played intense and close games, resulting in Norway taking the gold medal after a hard-fought game against Canada. The Canadians, skipped by Kevin Martin, won the silver medal and the Swiss the bronze. The Canadian women, skipped by Kelley Law, won the bronze medal.

At the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, the Canadian men's curling team won the gold, and the women's team, skipped by Shannon Kleibrink, again won the bronze. The Canadian men’s team that won the 2006 Olympic Winter Games was skipped by Brad Gushue of St. John’s , Newfoundland . In the semifinal, the Canadian team scored five points in the ninth end on the way to an 11–5 win over the United States and then in the final scored a remarkable six points in the sixth end en route to a 10–4 win over Finland. Canadian curlers enjoyed success once again at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver . The Canadian men, led this time by Kevin Martin, won a second consecutive Olympic gold. The team, undefeated in round-robin play, proceeded to the final match where they defeated Norway 6–3. The women's team, led by Cheryl Bernard, were edged out by Sweden (6–7) and won silver. At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Canada won the gold medal in men’s and women’s curling at the same Olympics for the first time.

The men’s team, led by skip Brad Jacobs, finished with a record of 7–2 in the round robin, beat China 10–6 in the semifinal, and Great Britain 9–3 in the gold medal game. The women’s team, led by skip Jennifer Jones, enjoyed unprecedented Olympic success. They became the first Canadian women’s team at an Olympic Winter Games or World Women’s Curling Championship to go undefeated throughout the entire tournament. Jones’ team beat Great Britain 6–4 in the semifinal and Sweden 6–3 in the final to win Olympic gold. In recent years, the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials has arguably passed the Brier and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the most important national curling event on Canadian soil. Canada’s elite curling teams have made the Olympic Winter Games a top priority and regularly form their teams in four-year cycles to maximize their preparation. In fact, winning the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials can be just as prestigious for Canadian curlers as winning an Olympic medal because of how difficult it is to beat the other elite teams throughout Canada. Suggested Reading W.A.

Creelman, Curling: Past and Present (1950); Perry Lefko, Shannon England, The Queen of Curling: The Sandra Schmirler Story (2000); Gerald Redmond, The Sporting Scots of Nineteenth-Century Canada (1982); D.B. Smith, Curling: An Illustrated History (1981). Links to other sites

Question: In which sport do Scotland play Canada for the Strathcona Cup?
Answer: Curling